Abstract

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The popularity of the sport of surfing has created challenges for managers in the U.S. and Australia, where surfing has been popular for many decades. The high number of surfers in many coastal urban areas results in crowded surf breaks, which can lead to injuries, conflicts and dissatisfaction for surfers, many of whom dislike crowds. However, managers often relegate surfers to limited areas of the beach in order to accommodate tourists during the peak summer season. There is limited empirical research on the impact of these regulations on surfers’ experiences. Crowding, conflict, and coping strategies have been studied extensively in the outdoor recreation field; however, research is lacking on surfers as a user group. This study aims to fill those gaps. Virginia Beach is a major mass tourism destination but also draws a significant number of surfers throughout the year. The purpose of this study is to examine crowding, conflicts and coping strategies among surfers at Virginia Beach.

This study provides important insights into surfers’ experiences during the peak summer season in Virginia Beach (N = 407). Analyses include frequencies and ANOVA. Results indicated that surfers in two main designated surfing areas (DSAs) perceived significantly higher levels of crowding than surfers in other areas. These two DSAs also had significantly higher levels of risks and conflicts than other areas. The main coping strategies surfers used to avoid conflict included surfing at different times (e.g., before or after the regulations went into effect, or when red flags were flown) and surfing places other than Virginia Beach’s oceanfront, such as Sandbridge or the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Results from this study could inform beach management decision-making. Recommendations include the designation of additional surfing areas by the City of Virginia Beach, or the expansion of existing DSAs in order to accommodate a larger number of surfers. While risks and conflicts were higher in the two main DSAs, the level of occurrence was not high. Therefore, the minor modifications suggested could address current problems and prevent higher levels of risks and conflicts in the future.